Sustainability in Action

The Borough of Roselle Park completed its first Environmental Resource Inventory (ERI) and adopted it into the municipal masterplan in 2020. The ERI allows the borough to gain a better understanding of its built and natural resources, and the baseline findings are now incorporated into municipal planning decisions. “We’ve made great progress toward becoming more sustainable. The completion of the ERI laid the groundwork for taking our work to the next level,” said Michele LoManto of the Roselle Park Green Team. “The ERI opens the door for us to complete new actions such as Open Space Plans, an Environmental Assessment Ordinance and the Historical Preservation Element.” The Roselle Park Environmental Commission and the Roselle Park Green Team joined forces to apply and secure a $10,000 Sustainable Jersey Grant funded by the PSEG Foundation. The grant funds allowed the borough to commission the Land Conservancy of New Jersey to assist with the inventory. The community was invited to a public informational session to review the ERI, and the project and public session was promoted in the media and through multiple social media channels and forums. The Borough of Roselle Park is bronze-certified with Sustainable Jersey and received 20 points for this work upon completion of the priority action: Natural Resource Inventory.

Improved food security for individuals and families is a crucial component of sustainable, self-reliant communities. The Hillsborough Township Social Services Department provides a multitude of programs within the township, most notably the Hillsborough Community Assistance Network (C.A.N.). While the Hillsborough C.A.N. is staffed by the municipality, it is supported by donations from the local community. Hillsborough has a history of helping residents in need; for over 35 years, the generosity of the community has enabled the program to provide assistance to those in need. “Access to healthy food options contributes to positive health outcomes, which leads to healthier communities,” explained Bob Wagner, Director of Parks, Recreation and Social Services for Hillsborough Township. “We want our residents to know that if they need assistance, they are not alone. We are here to lend a helping hand.” In addition to food services, C.A.N. offers support throughout the holiday season with meals and gifts for families in need. C.A.N. also helps families with school supplies and large-scale food distributions. C.A.N. plays a supportive role in emergency weather-related events, like Hurricane Ida, by providing community members with food, clothing and other resources. The Hillsborough programs are successful because they are supported through community donations and volunteers. Hillsborough Township is certified at the silver-level with Sustainable Jersey and received 15 points for the action: Community Food Pantry/Bank and Soup Kitchen.

How many disposable cups are being thrown away at your school? How much uneaten food is going to waste? The answers to these questions—and more—might surprise you. To address food waste in K-12 New Jersey schools, Sustainable Jersey and Rutgers Cooperative Extension are collaborating on a project that is funded by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. The initiative is called Sustainable and Scalable Food Waste Solutions for Schools. Sustainable Jersey used a competitive application process to select three schools, representing north, central and southern New Jersey, to participate in this study. The three schools chosen were Halsted Middle School in Newton, George L. Catrambone Elementary School in Long Branch, and Delran Middle School in Delran. As part of a school-wide waste audit, Sustainable Jersey and Rutgers Cooperative Extension staff monitored each school's food waste production for a three-day period to identify the contributing factors to waste and determine appropriate interventions to reduce food waste. “Doing a school waste audit was a truly eye-opening experience that will serve as a roadmap to help us reduce food waste,” said Erica DeMichele, District Supervisor from Delran Township School District. The initial food waste audit at Delran Middle School determined that the school wasted a total of 217 pounds of food from 707 students in three visits. That amounts to approximately 72.18 pounds of waste per day and 12,991.80 pounds every school year. At George L. Catrambone Elementary, the figure was 625 pounds from 813 students, and at Halsted Middle School, it was 194 pounds from 355 students. The project teams at each school received training in November on student education resources; in January, on food-service best practices for reducing waste based on their food waste audit results; and in February, on share tables and other food recovery practices for feeding hungry people in the school and community.

A comprehensive K-12 Food Waste Reduction Toolkit will be prepared for public release this year.  In August 2017, the state legislature passed bill S3027 requiring New Jersey municipalities to reduce the amount of food waste in the municipal solid waste stream by 50% by the year 2030. This project will contribute to the efforts being made to decrease food waste across the state.  For more information on how to conduct a waste audit at your school, review the Sustainable Jersey for Schools Action: Waste Audit.

New Jersey is the first state in the nation to incorporate climate change education across all grade levels in the state’s Student Learning Standards. In order to help the school community successfully navigate the new learning standards, a thought leadership committee composed of educators, school board members, and representatives from the state and federal governments, the state’s major education groups, non-profit environmental advocacy and conservation groups, higher education, and the private sector, convened to identify what New Jersey schools still needed to adopt the new climate change learning standards. After research, surveys, and interviews with teachers in New Jersey, the committee published the Report on K-12 Climate Change Education Needs in New Jersey. Now, the New Jersey School Boards Association, Sustainable Jersey, The College of New Jersey, New Jersey Audubon, the National Wildlife Federation and SubjectToClimate are working to support the implementation of the recommendations.

The City of Paterson purchased 35 Nissan Leaf electric vehicles (EVs) that are being used for local travel by city employees. These vehicles were purchased through the New Jersey State Purchasing Contract and the city plans to apply for rebates for these vehicles through New Jersey’s Clean Energy Program’s Clean Fleet Electric Vehicle Incentive Program. The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities’ Clean Fleet Program can provide funding for municipal, school and county EV and EV chargers. Applications must be in by May 2, 2022 and vehicles and chargers must be delivered by June 2023. Paterson’s fleet is also getting two electric garbage trucks purchased with a New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) grant funded through the Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation Trust. Future fleet electrification plans include the purchase of two electric ambulances and an electric "utility" truck. By improving the municipal fleet's fuel efficiency and reducing overall emissions, the City of Paterson will benefit from long-term energy cost savings, lower maintenance costs, healthier air and lower greenhouse gas emissions. The City of Paterson is also making EV infrastructure investments that include the installation of 13 Level 2 chargers and one DC Fast Charger. “Paterson is becoming a 21st century city with electric vehicles,” Mayor André Sayegh said. For more information on programs and funding to encourage EV adoption in New Jersey, including funding to help municipalities and school districts add EVs to their fleets, visit New Jersey’s Clean Energy Program website page: Electric Vehicle Programs and NJDEP’s website page: Drive Green. For additional funding options, watch the Sustainable Jersey Webinar: Funding for Transitioning Fleets to EVs.